Akropong High Court dismisses Okuapehemaa’s contempt case against Okuapehene
The long-running chieftaincy dispute over the occupancy of the Akuapem Paramount Stool in the Eastern Region has taken another turn after the Akropong High Court dismissed a contempt application brought by Okuapehemaa Nana Afua Nketiaa Obuo II against the Registrar of the Akuapem Traditional Council, Asana Agyeiwaa Ahmed, over the continued recognition of Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III as Okuapehene.
The court struck out the application after counsel for the applicant reportedly failed to comply with an earlier directive requiring the filing of a revised application. Consequently, the court awarded costs of GH¢10,000 against Nana Afua Nketiaa Obuo II.
The case sought to have the Registrar committed for contempt over allegations that she continued to recognize and act on behalf of Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III despite previous judicial and chieftaincy rulings concerning the Akuapem Paramount Stool.
Background to the Dispute
The contempt proceedings were rooted in a protracted legal and traditional dispute surrounding the Ofori Kuma Stool, the paramount stool of Akuapem. Nana Afua Nketiaa Obuo II, who serves as Okuapehemaa and Queen Mother of the Akuapem Traditional Area, argued in her affidavit that the controversy dates back to chieftaincy proceedings initiated before the Judicial Committee of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs in the case titled Lily Agyeman v. Nana Afua Nketiaa Obuo II & Others (Suit No. JC/ERHC/P1/2018).
According to the affidavit, the Judicial Committee of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, on April 30, 2020, nullified the nomination, election, and enstoolment of Odehye Kwasi Akuffo as Okuapehene.
The committee held that the processes leading to his installation were not carried out in accordance with Akuapem custom and tradition and were therefore null and void. The ruling further directed the Okuapehemaa, as the customary authority responsible for nominating a candidate to occupy the stool, to restart the entire selection, nomination, and election process.
The decision was subsequently appealed to the Judicial Committee of the National House of Chiefs.
However, on September 29, 2022, the National House of Chiefs upheld the ruling of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs and reaffirmed the directive that a fresh nomination and selection process be conducted by the Okuapehemaa.
Previous Contempt Conviction
Court records cited by the applicant also referred to an earlier contempt case before the High Court in Koforidua involving Lily Agyeman and Odehye Kwadwo Kesse Antwi.
The two were accused of proceeding with an installation process despite the pending dispute over the stool.
The High Court reportedly convicted them for contempt and imposed a fine of GH¢10,000 each or, in default, a custodial sentence of 14 days. The convicts subsequently paid the fines.
The Koforidua High Court further directed the Akuapem Traditional Council, the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, and the National House of Chiefs not to process any application aimed at gazetting Kwadwo Kesse Antwi as Okuapehene unless such a process complied with the relevant customary and legal requirements.
Allegations Against the Registrar
In her application, Nana Afua Nketiaa Obuo II maintained that no candidate had been nominated by her to occupy the Ofori Kuma Stool since the decisions of the Regional and National Houses of Chiefs. She argued that the Registrar of the Akuapem Traditional Council was fully aware of these rulings and the legal status of the stool.
The Okuapehemaa accused the Registrar of continuing to issue official correspondence suggesting the existence of a substantive Okuapehene and acting under instructions purportedly issued by Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III.
She further cited invitations issued for the 2026 Odwira Festival, which identified Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III as Okuapehene, as evidence of what she described as deliberate disregard for the rulings of the Houses of Chiefs and previous court orders.
Additionally, the applicant alleged that the Registrar had facilitated processes leading to the gazetting and recognition of Kwadwo Kesse Antwi as Okuapehene despite the absence of a nomination from the Queen Mother and notwithstanding earlier judicial pronouncements.
According to the affidavit, these actions amounted to aiding and abetting the disobedience of lawful orders relating to the Akuapem Paramount Stool.
Motion for Committal
Based on these allegations, Nana Afua Nketiaa Obuo II, through her lawyer Raymond Bagnabu, filed a motion on notice at the Akropong High Court seeking an order committing the Registrar to prison for contempt.
The motion, filed in April 2026, relied on provisions under Order 50 of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules and was supported by affidavits and documentary exhibits, including judgments from the Regional and National Houses of Chiefs as well as previous court rulings.
Court Dismisses Application
However, the contempt proceedings failed to advance to a substantive determination after the applicant’s legal team reportedly failed to file an amended or revised application as directed by the court during earlier proceedings.
The Akropong High Court consequently struck out the application and imposed costs of GH¢10,000 against the applicant.
Continuing Chieftaincy Tensions
The dismissal of the contempt application does not bring an end to the broader dispute surrounding the Akuapem Paramount Stool, which has been the subject of litigation and chieftaincy proceedings for several years.
At the centre of the controversy remains the question of whether Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III’s occupancy of the stool is valid and whether the processes leading to his recognition complied with Akuapem custom and previous rulings of the chieftaincy institutions.
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